Video shows ISIS destroying a US-made tank, and why the US must up its game

An
XM1 Abrams, during a demonstration at Fort Knox, Kentucky in
1979.DoD photo by: EDDIE
McCROSSAN

A video showing an ISIS-fired, Russian-made anti-tank guided
missile (ATGM) obliterating a US-made M1 Abrams tank illustrates
the disturbing degree to which the US's tanks have fallen behind
on the modern battlefield.

The video shows what Dan
Goure of The Lexington Institute identifies as a
Kornet ATGM striking the back of an Iraqi Abrams tank. The tank
then spews a spectacular stream of fire, and though the video
doesn't clearly show the fate of the crew, they may well have
died.

Such an attack represents a big win for ISIS, a loss for the
Iraqi people trying to reclaim the city of Mosul, and a glaring
warning to US soldiers and Marines: Next time it could be you.

In Syria alone, eight different types of ATGMs threaten any
armored division, the Congressional Research Service states.
There's no reason to believe a more favorable
situation exists in Iraq.

The US's M1 Abrams, first introduced in 1979, has
undergone a number of updates to deal with evolving threats on
the battlefield, but it has fallen behind in a key area — active
protection.

Though Iraq fields a different version of the Abrams, the Russian
Kornet ATGM fires a tandem round, which can theoretically also
destroy US versions of the tank which have explosive reactive
armor.

Active protection systems (APS) involve a range of sensors that
see incoming missiles and counter them with a hail of shrapnel or
an explosion, thereby intercepting the incoming missile before
the tank takes the hit.

But only one battle-tested APS exists in the world, and it's
Israeli. In 2006, top tier Israeli Merkava tanks fought
against largely unarmored Hezbollah divisions, but ATGMs defeated
a considerable number of the tanks.

In the 2014 Gaza conflict with Hamas, Israel faced a similarly
armed opposition, but it didn't lose a single tank. The
difference was APS.